Research reveals that trumpetfish stealthily hunt by camouflaging themselves behind other fish like parrotfish, deceiving their prey, damselfish, in a novel survival strategy that may become more widespread due to coral reef degradation.
The long thin trumpetfish uses a bigger, non-threatening species of fish, such as parrotfish, as camouflage to get closer to its dinner without being detected. Credit: Sam Matchette When the trumpetfish model moved past alone, damselfish swam up to inspect – and rapidly fled back to shelter in response to the predatory threat.When a trumpetfish model was attached to the side of a parrotfish model – to replicate the shadowing behavior of the real trumpetfish – the damselfish responded just as they had to the parrotfish model alone: they had not detected the threat.
Their earlier questioning of divers working at dive shops in the Caribbean revealed that trumpetfish are commonly seen swimming alongside parrotfish and other reef fish – but the reason for this remarkable behavior had not been tested. Coral reefs around the world are being degraded due to the warming climate, pollution, and overfishing. The researchers say the strategy of hiding behind other moving fish may help animals adapt to the impacts of environmental change.
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